


(May we stay lost) On our way home

by admirabletragedy



Series: Whumptober 2020 [14]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Canon Divergence - Star Wars: A New Hope, Episode: s03e20 Twin Suns, Fic, M/M, Movie: Star Wars: A New Hope, heat exhaustion, no.14, whumptober2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27003973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/admirabletragedy/pseuds/admirabletragedy
Summary: Day 14 • Heat ExhaustionEzra shakes his head, “You have my lightsaber,” he pauses and Luke’s blood runs cold, “you would’ve hurt me already if you wanted to.”Luke shifts so he’s sitting on his foot — turned towards Ezra — and leans back on his hands, “So you admit you’re a Jedi.”Ezra tilts his head to the side, “And what if I said yes?”Luke crosses his arms over his chest, leaning forward, “Then I’d ask what you’re doing on Tatooine.”
Relationships: Ezra Bridger/Luke Skywalker
Series: Whumptober 2020 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946944
Comments: 10
Kudos: 77
Collections: Whumptober





	(May we stay lost) On our way home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Toomanyfandoms99](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomanyfandoms99/gifts), [AlwaysandAlso](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysandAlso/gifts).



> Title is from the song “C’mon,” by P!ATD and Fun.
> 
> • For Tmf and AlwaysandAlso <3

Luke is outside repairing the vaporizer when he sees the smoke. 

Usually, such a sight wouldn't have caught his attention but it's late — Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru have already turned in for the night — which means it's not Tuskens. They prefer to do their hunting in the dark and wouldn't draw attention to themselves like that.

The smoke is black against the night sky — it's clear, the first time in a while they haven't had a dust storm — and Luke can't help but feel drawn to it.

It's absurd, he knows that, but something’s urging him to go find the source of the smoke and his instincts have yet to mislead him.

It's that thought — as he checks the safety is switched on the blaster and places it into the holster at his side — that prompts him to act. He hesitates at the house's entrance, before taking a step back inside and grabbing two moisture packets, hiding them in the pocket of his tunic. Uncle Lars would chew his head off if he knew what Luke was doing but thinking back to his Uncle’s words to him that morning, Luke finds he doesn't care.

Luke steps into his speeder, sparing one more look back at the farm before he takes off, moving quietly until he reaches the property line and knows he won’t be heard.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Luke dims the speeder’s lights as he nears the source of the smoke, not wanting to alert any scavengers to his presence. 

The tactic works, thankfully, and before too long, Luke is close enough to see the source of the smoke. It’s from a ship — it doesn’t look like anything he’s seen before — the metal of which being melted down and melded with the thick glass of the viewport.

Scattered around the ship are Tuskens, lying prone on the ground. Shifting closer and flicking his torch on, Luke can see the Scavengers have been burned by something. Yet, the only weapon capable of that kind of damage is a lightsaber, but that would be impossible. It should be impossible. _Right?_

He’s about to turn away and leave — he’d rather not stick around if there’s any chance that the person who killed the Tuskens is still there — when he feels that strange pull again.

He clicks his torch off and listens, only to hear… _nothing_.

He moves, flicking his torch back on and following wherever the call is leading him.

Halting in front of a looming boulder, Luke lays his hand against it — keeping his other wrapped tight around his blaster — and warily circles around the rock.

The pull, whatever it is, only grows stronger with every step.

He’s nearly reached the back of the stone when he sees something — or _someone_ — lying on the ground at his feet.

When he shines his flashlight at the figure, he sees it's a man lying down on his stomach, an arm extended over an orange mech droid. Luke steps forward carefully, making sure to keep the two in his line of sight, and crouches down next to them. 

He should probably leave, but whoever this is _is what he was lead to_ , Luke’s sure of it. Besides, he could earn a decent number of credits for the droid, if the man wasn’t awake to stop him.

He checks on the man first, feeling for a pulse on his wrist. It’s there. Leaving his flashlight on the ground, Luke exhales through his nose, placing his arms under the man and flipping him over.

He stays still, as does the droid, and Luke takes a moment to examine the two closely. The man, he realizes now, is actually a teenager. He looks around Luke’s age, with copper skin and dark black hair. He’s not wearing flight gear, Luke notes.

He’s turning toward the droid when he sees the glint of metal. Hovering over the boy, Luke grabs the metal object from his side, unclipping it and bringing it closer.

Upon closer inspection, Luke can see it’s about as big as his forearm, and a worn grip encases the metal of the object. He turns it curiously and notices the top isn’t entirely closed-off.

Holding it away from himself and the boy, Luke clicks the button on its side. 

It lights up, bright green plasma coloring his vision, and Luke scrambles to shut it off, his heart racing as he scans the area for anything that may have noticed the light. Letting out a shaky breath, Luke can’t help but laugh, he found a Jedi, _an actual Jedi_ . He looks down at the weapon — a _lightsaber_ — and then back up at the boy.

_What’s a Jedi doing on Tatooine?_

With furrowed brows, Luke slips the saber into the pocket of his tunic, opposite the one holding the moisture packets.

Standing back up and walking to the side — he keeps his eyes on both the boy and the droid — Luke leans forward and inspects the model. It’s unlike any he’s seen before at the markets, but the reason it’s shut down is a familiar one. 

Sand falls from its joints as Luke lifts it up; it’ll need to be cleaned up before it has any chance of powering-up again.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Luke considers his options.

He could take the droid and the lightsaber and leave, or he could take the boy as well, and see if he would wake up.

Judging by the heat radiating from his skin, Luke can tell he’s been here for a while, maybe since the suns set; he's definitely suffering from heat exhaustion. Luke rests his head in his hands as he decides what to do next.

Luke moves the droid first, half-carrying, half-dragging it to the speeder, pulling down the ramp before pushing the astromech up. He leaves the ramp down as he moves back to the boulder, considering the best way to carry the boy and settles on half-lifting him from the ground and hauling him to the speeder. It may be a rough way to move someone but Luke’s making sure only the boy’s feet are touching the ground. He also can’t shake the feeling that he needs to get out of the area quickly.

The quiet is beginning to grow unsettling as the last of the ship’s fire goes out.

Finally depositing the boy in the back of the speeder, Luke draws up the ramp and doesn’t hesitate to drive away from the area as quickly as possible.

He can't help but feel like he's already in over his head.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Luke's not sure if it’s the adrenaline from avoiding getting caught or the thinking ahead that's distracting him but bringing the boy and his droid inside is easier than the first time he had to lift them.

He leaves the droid by the door, for now, focusing his energy on hoisting the boy up onto his bed.

Leaning against the wall to catch his breath, Luke takes a moment to contemplate what to do next.

Sliding his door shut, Luke grabs a rag from the cabinet and carefully pours some water from a packet onto it. He’s careful not to add any more than he has to, knowing the dangers of wasting such a limited resource. 

Walking over to the boy, Luke sets the rag on the side of the bed and moves him so he can take off his jacket. Once he throws the fabric to the side, Luke sets the cool rag on his forehead, making sure it won’t just fall off.

With nothing else to do for the boy, Luke turns to the orange droid, using one of the dry work rags to wipe the sand away from the astromech.

He makes sure not to mess with any of the droid’s wires, he’d rather not die because he kriffs up a lightsaber-wielding, maybe maniac’s droid.

Opening his door again, Luke clutches the boy's jacket, shaking the sand before stepping back inside, shutting the door behind him. He’s so distracted with the fabric in his hands, it’s only when he glances up that he realizes the boy is awake — his eyes half-open — and staring at him. Startling at the sight, Luke unconsciously takes a step back, narrowly avoiding knocking into the droid. His movement draws the boy’s attention downward and upon seeing his droid, the boy narrows his eyes at Luke in suspicion, moving to sit up.

Crossing the distance to the boy, Luke pushes him back down, smacking his hand away from the rag on his forehead, “Don’t.”

Seeing the boy’s skeptical expression, Luke raises his hands in the air in a universal gesture of surrender, “Look, I found you and the droid next to a burning ship and decided to bring you back here.”

The boy deflates, “Here?”

“My home. You’re on Tatooine, no idea why you’d want to visit this dumpster fire of a planet, though, it’s no vacation destination.”

The boy blinks at him and Luke rolls his eyes, “What’s your name?”

The boy taps his fingers against the bedsheets, “What’s yours?”

“Yeah, no, I asked you first,” He retorts.

The boy sighs, looking at him intensely. That pull is back — Luke shoves it out of his mind — and the boy glances away, “Ezra. My name’s Ezra.”

He looks at Luke expectantly, “And I’m Luke.”

Seeing that Ezra isn’t a threat at the moment, Luke grabs the moisture packet from his pocket again, unscrewing the cap and handing it to Ezra, who sits up and glances at him warily.

“It’s water, not poison. I shouldn’t even be giving it to you in the first place, but you look like you need it.” Luke scoffs.

Their hands brush as Luke passes him the pouch and Luke chooses to ignore the way it makes him feel.

“Your droid’s okay, there was sand caught in its joints but it should be okay now. 

Ezra glances up at him with furrowed brows, “Not that I’m not grateful, but why exactly are you helping me?”

Luke shrugs, setting down the other moisture packet on the counter and settling down next to him, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

He can see Ezra glancing at him from out of the corner of his eye, “Try me.”

Luke sighs, idly messing with the fabric of his tunic, “It just felt like I needed to go there, like I was meant to find you.”

When he looks at Ezra, Luke finds him staring, “I believe you.”

Luke raises an eyebrow, “Were you never taught to distrust strangers?”

Ezra shakes his head, “You have my lightsaber,” he pauses and Luke’s blood runs cold, “you would’ve hurt me already if you wanted to.”

Luke shifts so he’s sitting on his foot — turned towards Ezra — and leans back on his hands, “So you admit you’re a Jedi.”

Ezra tilts his head to the side, “And what if I said yes?”

Luke crosses his arms over his chest, leaning forward, “Then I’d ask what you’re doing on Tatooine.”

Ezra grabs the cap of the packet and screws it back on, placing the now half-empty packet on the table, “Thank you for that, by the way.” 

He pauses, reaching into the pockets of his jacket, which is once again on the bed next to him. Luke tenses at the movement but relaxes when he sees Ezra hasn’t retrieved a weapon. 

Instead, he's holding two small objects, which, at first, Luke assumes are stones. That is until Ezra holds them out to him, and he can see they’re actually a mix of metal and transparent panels; whatever they are, they’re intricately detailed; they must be important, for someone to be willing to spend so much time crafting them.

“They’re parts of Holocrons,” Luke glances up as Ezra speaks, “Force users can influence them to send messages to other Force users.”

“You’ve been sent a message?” Ezra nods and Luke looks down in thought, “But from who?”

Ezra shifts into a crisscrossed position, dropping the Holocron pieces back into his pocket, “Do you know of anyone named Obi-Wan Kenobi?”

Luke tilts his head, wracking his brain for any memories of the name, “I’ve only heard his name once, but I don’t think he’s here.”

“Why’s that?” Ezra inquires.

Luke wrings his hands together over his lap, “I don’t think he’s still alive.”

Ezra’s face falls and Luke backtracks quickly, “I could be wrong, really,” he worries his lip, “if anyone would know if he lives here, it’d be Old Ben.”

Ezra blinks and leans forward, and Luke becomes all too aware of how close they are.

He leans his weight back on his hands, “I’ve known him all my life, he would be your best bet at finding Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

Ezra looks hopeful, and Luke wishes he'll be able to find this Obi-Wan character because he doesn’t want to see Ezra unhappy again. 

_Stars, he’s too gay for this._

“Could you…” Ezra hesitates, “take me to him?”

Luke's gaze snaps up as he hears Ezra’s request. He thinks of his Aunt and Uncle — what they’d do if they found out he’d left in the middle of the night — and looks back at Ezra.

This is his chance, he realizes suddenly, and the thought makes his heart ache in anticipation.

“Yes,” Luke says before he can change his mind, and Ezra beams at him.

There’s still plenty of time until the day cycle, he tells himself.

He stands up, holding a hand out for Ezra to take as he lifts himself off the bed too while pulling his jacket over his shoulders.

“You fix your droid, I just need to do something before we go.”

Ezra nods, turning to walk to his droid, when Luke reaches into his tunic pocket and calls his name, “You’ll need this too.”

Ezra sends him a disarming smile as Luke tosses him the lightsaber, catching it with one hand and clipping it to his belt.

Luke turns around and grabs a pen, hoping that Ezra hadn’t seen his burning face.

Sighing, he looks over his shoulder to Ezra — who’s trying to calm his irritated droid — before he turns back and sets the pen to paper.

**Author's Note:**

> 𝘼𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙐𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙚 𝙊𝙬𝙚𝙣,  
> 𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙅𝙚𝙙𝙞 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙝𝙞𝙢.  
> 𝘼𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚.  
> 𝙇𝙢𝙖𝙤 𝙗𝙮𝙚 !!!  
> 𝙊𝙝 𝙗𝙩𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙊𝙗𝙞-𝙒𝙖𝙣 𝙆𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙗𝙞’𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙛 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤…  
> 𝙓𝙤𝙭𝙤𝙭𝙤  
> 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙


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